‘Abuse is part of the job’: New data reveals bus drivers are living in fear of angry customers
An article on ABC News has revealed that nowadays, aggression towards bus drivers is a norm and many bus drivers are afraid that the next late bus or peak traffic time will mean copping abuse from both passengers and other motorists.
New data from Transport Safety Victoria has shown that in the last 10 years, there have been 241 physical assaults on Victorian bus drivers with 20 incidents occurring in 2018 alone. This reflects a similar experience of our bus drivers here in NSW.
Over the last few years there have been reports of punching, stabbing and even rock throwing and getting spat on. This is completely unacceptable and bus drivers are not responsible for their passengers’ bad days, drinking habits or fare evasion. In fact, the job has become far more stressful thanks to tighter timetables and an accepted culture of aggression towards drivers.
RTBU NSW Tram and Bus Division Secretary, David Babineau said “The way some of our members are treated is an absolute disgrace. Abuse at work is never okay. The reason unions exist is to protect their members from ever having to deal with things like this. We encourage all of our members to bring cases like this straight to us. This treatment of bus drivers is horrific and we will not let it continue.”